Who Me: Comedy Festival Review

Who Me: Comedy Festival Review

Obsessions.

We all have them - no matter how you bundle them up - that rugby game you attend every week, that team you follow devotedly, that band you covet; it comes in many forms.

But what if your obsession were a TV show, a show which for the majority of its 50 years was not cool and never received the widespread iconic love it did in the last seven years? What if that show were Doctor Who and you were an Aussie fan who got into it back in the 90s? And what if that obsession was threatening to derail your life to the extent of all other matters?

That in a nutshell is the comedy festival Who Me, starring Aussie stand up and performance artist Rob Lloyd. And Rob is on trial for his life in this show, which takes a slightly self-deprecating, self-acknowledging look at what an obsession does for a life.

With boundless energy, and copious amounts of sweat under the theatre lights at Auckland's Basement, there's never anything less than 100% given by Rob on stage.

Taking on the role of the performer, the defendant and the prosecution in this examination of whether his addiction has consumed him and turned him into a lesser person, Rob actually pulls apart the world of fandom in general. (Though I will grant you, if you're a Whovian and know your Yeti from your Judoon, you may get just a little bit more from this show than anyone else).

Theatrical flourishes and clever word play breathe life into this autobiographical tale of growing up a nerd in a small Aussie town where nobody shared your interests. It's almost unremarkable to think that there was ever a time when being a fan of anything - let alone sci-fi - was not cool. These days, it's hip to be square (thanks Huey Lewis) and so the idea of being cast asunder and negotiating the lonely plane of loving something more than others is an alien one to many. But Rob takes something that many of us will recognise in ourselves (if we're honest) and turns it into a  universal story of truth and self-examination. Sure, he's preaching to the converted with a lot of the audience, but his journey is one we'll all see our own traits in.

Passion and addiction are fine bedfellows and they're ones which have clearly plagued Rob throughout his life; with the help of slideshows and references to Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, Babylon 5, Joss Whedon (before the Avengers), Rob fires moment after nostalgic moment of fan love onto the crowd with nothing short of empathy. High energy helps his boundless enthusiasm seep among the crowd; and there is one moment which sees the pre-conceptions of Rob and his cosplay turned on their very head - and masterfully done it is. It's clear his background as a drama teacher helps, but I never felt anything but warmth radiating from the stage into the audience.

There's a confessional feel to Who, Me? I grant you we're never but on Rob's side of the argument throughout - but what comes out are a few universal truths which examine and then celebrate what it is to be passionate about something. Sure, it's a look at one man's obsession, but it's also an utterly revered and totally recognisable warm and comedic take on what it means to be a nerd, to be all consumed by something and to shout out that from the rooftops.